Road caught in cycle of excavation

Recurring sinkholes, cable damage cause concerns

FAISALABAD:

 

The Sargodha Road has been excavated for the fifth time in two and a half years, disrupting traffic, affecting local businesses and raising questions about coordination among the development agencies.

Residents said the municipal corporation had reconstructed the road about six months ago. However, sinkholes had appeared at the same location on four previous occasions, in March 2024, June and November 2025 and February this year. The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) carried out repairs following the incidents, but the underlying problem apparently persisted.

Excavation of the same stretch has been started now to repair damaged telephone and internet cables.

The work has forced authorities to divert traffic to one side of the road, while the other side remains closed.

Sources attributed the recurring damage to water seepage from underground pipelines, causing the road surface to sink and damaging telecommunications infrastructure.

They said WASA had installed the main sewerage line along the road in 1982 and it had exceeded its expected service life about five years ago.

Temporary repairs, however, had continued without fully addressing the underlying defects.

An assistant manager at PTCL, Muhammad Sajid, said the company's underground cable was damaged after excavation and the subsequent formation of a sinkhole.

The cable carries telecommunications services between Faisalabad and Sargodha as well as strategic communication circuits, he said.

He said the damaged cable had initially been restoted, but continued soil settlement caused by water seepage had led to further damage.

He alleged that inadequate coordination during excavation had left existing underground services vulnerable.

Municipal Corporation spokesperson Muhammad Haseeb said the PTCL had obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the civic body to repair its cable infrastructure before development work began.

However, WASA Operations Director Farhan Akra said the agency had not carried out any repair work at the site during the past six months.

The agency had only repaired a manhole slab a few days earlier, he said, describing the work as superficial, extending half a foot below the surface.

An architect, Wazir Khan, said the Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency could not coordinate development work among departments without adequate staff and budget.

A grocery store owner on Sargodha Road, Muhammad Ali, said repeated excavation had increased dust and pollution and reduced customer traffic, affecting sales.

A local medical store owner, Abdul Hameed, said the work had created difficulties for pedestrians, commuters and businesses.